


For the weak it comes, A Monster Crimson and Yellow and White

by sorrow_key



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bond between Light and Shadow, Curses, During Canon, Gen, Horror, I swear, Meaning of Flowers in Japanese Culture, Monsters, Mystery, Psychological Horror, Psychological Trauma, The author isn't just killing everyone off, Unreliable Narrator, shogi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-25 21:08:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4976593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sorrow_key/pseuds/sorrow_key
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akashi knows that monsters aren't real. (Are they?)<br/>He knows that his dreams are just dreams. (Right?)<br/>One thing he has always known is that he needs to be strong, needs to win.<br/>(Because the monster comes for the weak.)<br/>And they were torn apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wilter prettily, Oh my ruby-coloured Spider Lily

**Author's Note:**

> This was posted originally on wattpad. The chapter titles are based on the Vocaloid song Crimson and White Spider Lily, other than that, everything belongs to me. Though I did try to be accurate considering the flowers and Shogi... Feel free to correct me, it would be most welcome^^

**Wilter prettily, Oh my ruby-coloured Spider Lily**

 

Little, bare feet ran over the slightly warm grass. The boy passed numerous flowers as he ran, dark blue and violet Asagaos, Morning Glories, as they were called in the west, the most prominent amongst them, but the Hanashobu, Irises coloured from white to dark purple not that far behind. Sometimes he even came across Ajisai, though they weren't as common.

But the boy didn't pay any attention to them. Instead, he focused on the person he was running towards. The woman was crouched, her delicate hands placed on her tights as she watched something intently. As she heard the boy's footsteps, she turned her head, her pretty features morphing into a kind smile.

The boy stopped, afraid to disturb her, but ran into her arms when she spread them. Her red hair, only a shade darker than his own, was warm and smelled sweet, flowery. It was comforting.

Seijuro remembered the smell of the books his father made him read, which were either very old and smelled of age-old dust or very new and still smelt a tad bit like the trees they had been formed from, but more like the chemicals they had been suspended to. The smell of his father wasn't any better; it was too clean, like his personality had been removed.

But then again, Seijuro supposed, he was biased. And it wasn't like he'd ever hugged his father.

His mother let go of him and the 9 year old mourned the loss of contact. It had been almost enough to make him forget his father's words.

"Look,Sei-chan," she said, "the Spider Lilies finally bloomed!"

Seijuro took a look at where his mother had crouched. There were a lot of different forms and colours, because, as his mother had told him once, there were actually three kinds of flowers, all called Spider Lilies in the West. Their Japanese name was Higanbana, but his mother prefered their Western name.

Their majestic yellow and the cute white were very impressive and Seijuro marveled at them. Yet he couldn't help but notice one of the more popular colours missing. "Mother, do you not like the red Spider Lilies?" he asked, still used to the formality his father made him use.

"They are very beautiful too, it's just that I think that they're very sad" Fumiko Akashi answered, smiling sadly.

Then her smile got more cheerful and an exciting gleam sparked in her reddish eyes.

"You can call me mum, you know that, Sei-chan!"

This gleam and determination were why playing basketball with her was never boring, even though he usually won.

Basketball was the only thing Seijuro didn't feel like he had to excel at; his mother's encouragements and the fun he had while he played with her were enough to make him want to do just that.

Flowers were another passion of his mother. Not only the arranging that she, as a lady, could of course do perfectly, but planting them, caring for them and watching them grow.

It was like watching stars - Completely unnecessary, according to his father, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Sometimes, Fumiko told her son stories, western, chinese and her own alike.

"Is it because of their legend?" Seijuro asked.

His mother had told him the story of elves, Manju, who was supposed to guard the flower and Saka, who was supposed to guard the leaves. When they met, they had fallen in love, but were separated by God for defying him. That was the legend as to why the leaves bloomed, when the flowers wiltered and fell, when they bloomed. Even in their next life, the two lovers were unable to meet again, as they had forgotten each other. That was why Spider Lilies stood for 'Never to meet again' and symbolized lost memories.

Seijuro had to fight to keep the discomfort of his face - For a moment, the story pulled him back into his father's office, the day before.

 

_The little boy looked up to his father, who was sitting behind a giant desk. Everything was that way in their mansion, too big for the young and short Seijuro, too solemn to play in. It fit his father perfectly._

_As always, he showed no sign of his discomfort. It would equal weakness and his father did not want a weak son._

_Weak children were punished._

_He had never hurt him, had never needed to. Seijuro was the perfect son, as he was perfect at everything he did. But he had taken something from him, took it every day. It was important, so important that Seijuro felt he couldn't breathe without it, as important as the sun that never reached the redhead in the mansion or in the study._

_Everything that made Seijuro who he was, that made him more than grades and the perfect mask that could never, ever crack._

_Like his mother. She was all he needed._

_But she was sick, so she disappeared often._

_Rationally,Seijuro knew that his father was not to blame for that, but he couldn't help it. Plus he was the reason Seijuro didn't have any friends his age._

_But that didn't matter, tommorrow he and his mother would go on a trip together. His father had wanted to send tutors with him so he would continue to study, but somehow, Fumiko had convinced him to let them leave on their own._

" _Son," the giant, regal figure behind the desk started,"as you know, I don't like that your mother encourages you to childishness and immaturity. But there is a reason I am against you spending time with her. We have been coddling you for too long. You are an Akashi; you must be able to deal with the harsh truths in life."_

Suddenly, white flooded Seijuro's mind. What had come after? What had he tried to forget?

For some reason, he couldn't remember. He looked at his mother, searching for something that would make him remember, but the sight of the long-haired woman dressed in a light blue skirt and a white blouse wasn't helping him. She continued the conversation Seijuro had almost forgotten: "It's not just that."

As she talked, his father's voice joined her, creating a dissonant canon that split Seijuro's head in two, painfully tearing him apart.

„Where Red Spider Lilies bloom, the monster goes."

„ _The monster comes for the weak and tears them apart."_

And the Spider Lilies turned as red as her heart, whose blood burned Seijuro's whole world.

And the odor of blood consumed the flowery smell, twisting its previous sweetness and comfort into something dark, disturbing and inpalpable - A nightmare.

 


	2. Make the Petals all bloom dirtily

** Make the Petals all bloom dirtily **

„Come on, Akashicchi, let me play one-on-one against Aominecchi again! Please, just one more time!" a blond boy screeched.

However, he was silenced by a dark-haired boy tugging on his ear. "Ouch, ouch, ouch! That hurts, Nijimura-senpai!"

"Shut up, you idiot! The first game of the Winter Cup is tommorrow, don't you dare overdo it!" the former captain of the Teiko team answered, but let go of Kise's ears.

Kise kept complaining, but Akashi ignored him in order to greet Nijimura. "It's nice to see you again, Nijimura-senpai. But why are you here?"

Usually, Seijuro was politer than that, but Nijimura hadn't visited them at all during their training sessions or their games after leaving the team. He hadn't even watched the Summer Cup's finale.

The question was legitimate, plus the red-haired teen might have been a bit hurt by that.

Nijimura seemed a bit embarassed now."After I left the team, I was too depressed to even think about anything to do with basketball. Now I'm in high school and well, I thought about starting to play again and just ended up here." He scratched his head. Despite how easy he said that Akashi could sense that it took him a lot to tell them that.

So his father is better, Akashi noted. Or else Nijimura wouldn't think about starting basketball again. "Does that mean that we're going to play against Nijimura-senpai when we get in high school?" Kise asked, excited at the prospect.

"Who knows" he answered, smiling."We might end up in the same team again."

At that, Kise whooped.

"Hey, isn't that Mura-chin?" Murasakibara, who had just finished changing, asked. That earned him an ear-tug from the older boy, too. It was funny to look at, as Murasakibara was a lot taller than him and looked as annoyed as one might have been by an insect.

"It's Nijimura-san or senpai" the older boy said. Akashi smiled. He was fighting a losing battle. He had yet to meet a person who could teach the giant manners. Well, he could try himself, but he didn't see the point. Murasakibara's childishness was his nature and quite endearing, perhaps because it reminded the red-head of his own lost childhood.

Akashi fought back a cringe at the thought. It reminded him too much of the nightmare he'd had. It had been a stupid dream - His mother had died from an internal illness. Why would he dream of a dead person being murdered when they hadn't died that way?

But that didn't matter. It was just a dream and though he missed his mother, Akashi quite enjoyed his current life.

He was grateful to her; even in death, she and her love for basketball had given him the unique friends he'd made.

Kuroko and Aomine approached them, Midorima at their back, as uncaring as ever.

„It's nice to see you again, Nijimura-san" Kuroko greeted, while Aomine just said "Yo, long time no see, senpai." Midorima remained silent and Nijimura sighed in defeat. Manners really were lost on most of the Teiko team.

The dark-haired teen frowned. "By the way, where's Haizaki-kun? Is he skipping again?"

For a moment, Akashi thought he'd heard something wrong in Nijimura's annoyed voice, but he must have had imagined that.

„Haizaki? Oh, Akashicchi kicked him out" Kise answered cheerfully. "Good riddance" Aomine muttered, to which Kuroko ellbowed him. "What? It's true."

"That's not nice, Aomine-kun. Haizaki-kun was our important comrade."

„Emphasis on was" Aomine answered, not impressed. But Kuroko's cold gaze made him add "Whatever".

Midorima avoided his gaze. Akashi wondered, why. Had he not explained that it was for the best of the team? That it had been better for Haizaki to go while Kise hadn't surpassed him, a less violent end? Maybe Midorima just felt uncomfortable remembering Haizaki's reaction. That had to have been it.

Nijimura shot Akashi a both disapproving and questioning glare. "And he just took it like that and quit? If he changed that much, you wouldn't have needed to throw him off the team. He's an asshole, but he's good."

"Hey, I'm better than him anyways" Kise said, but was ignored.

"Well, he did need a bit... persuasion, but he came around" Akashi answered. Nijimura still seemed suspicious of something, but he didn't pry. Kise changed their topic to their on-coming game and Haizaki was quickly forgotten.

After a great evening, Nijimura accompanied Akashi home. Usually that job fell to Midorima, as Akashi's father knew his and didn't want Akashito be alone in the dark (never mind that he was almost 15 and could perfectly take care of himself). It was better than bodyguards or a limousine to take him home.

It was then that Nijimura came back to the topic of their previous, troublesome small guard.

"So," he started innocently, "about Haizaki-kun. Do you know what became of him?"

"I think he was suspended after being found smoking in school, but I'm not sure" Akashi said. "Why, is something the problem?"

It seemed like Nijimura wanted to say something, but instead he said „Let's play again in high school."

Akashi smiled. „I look forward to it.

They never did play; after that day, Akashi never saw Nijimura again.

****************************

" _We're done with him. Let's make him quit" Akashi said. Midorima didn't seem like he agreed, but he kept silent. That was okay. Akashi could deal with Haizaki himself._

_Itwas already dark when Akashi returned home. Yoshima-san, their butler, opened the front door._

_Entering what felt like a huge creature's mouth, Akashi looked for the tell-tale light coming from his father's study. As a dutiful son, he had to report to his father when he came home._

_Maybe that was why Akashi liked staying in school until late. That way, his father couldn't even protest, let alone forbid it._

_Seijuro didn't like his father's mansion. It was too old, too pompous for his taste. Wasteful._

_Hewas looking forward to moving out, but he wondered if he ever would. He felt like there were chains that tied him and as long as his father didn't relinquish his hold on him, he'd stay that way for all eternity._

" _Come in" a raspy voice said._

_"Good evening, father."_

" _Son."_

_"I will soon become the basketball team's captain."_

" _Took you long enough. You are an Akashi; you are stronger than all of them."_

_Akashi kept his face neutral. Nijimura had been a great captain. His father, who hated that Akashi played basketball at all, would not, could not ever understand._

" _Goodnight, father."_

_"Good night, son" said the empty room._

~~_**If you cannot impress someone, when he is not even really there, then you will never manage to do so.** _ ~~

_Akashi sighed and texted Haizaki. If he didn't come, even God wouldn't be able to help him._

~~**The weak are torn apart by the monster. Haizaki, get away before it's too late!** ~~

_The next day after school, Haizaki didn't, in fact, come._

 

Haizaki Shogo didn't like rules. Especially if they were established by short, fancy-ass boys such as Akashi Seijuro.

He had absolutely hated Nijimura, who hadn't cowed at his skill or given him special treatment because of it, even though he deserved said treatment. Getting beaten up had been an attack on his pride, too, but now that the ever so nice junior was captain, Haizaki was sure that he'd get away with skipping even though the captain's text had seemed urgent.

Butit wasn't like Haizaki didn't have urgent business to attend to -In fact, he was doing something so very important that Akashi's request didn't even compare.

Aftera long time of courting (borderline stalking) Haizaki had finally gotten a model in bed with him (to treat her to coffee).

What could possibly be more important than that? On topic of models - Miki-chan was making him wait. Haizaki took a sip out of his bottle that was most definitely not filled with alcohol. At least, that's what he'd tell authorities.

Suddenly, a weird sensation passed him. The grey-haired teenager looked at his glass suspiciously. He had gotten it out of a vending machine, so it was probably not spiked. Haizaki shrugged it off. It was a great day, just the right amount of sunny and windy that made his hair look glorious (totally work his mum's bitching on the fact that he'd gotten it dyed), as well as no elderly, who asked him why he wasn't in school or annoying captains, who gave him a run for his money. Haizaki wouldn't let an odd feeling destroy his contentment.

This opinion didn't even change when something whispered "The monster comes for the weak" right next to his ear. There was nobody nearby, so it was no prank and if it was ghosts or demons, Haizaki didn't give a flying fuck. After all, he was not weak. He was the strongest there was.

Minutes later, it were only his quick reflexes that saved his life. No help to his drink, however - That spilled on the ground. Since he was sitting outside the parking lot of a cafe at the edge of town, there weren't any people around to hear his screech.

Now the claw that had left a streak of blood on his cheek did worry him more than a bit.

"Hey-" his protest never got finished. A flash of red was all he saw before claws and teeth were burying themselves in his flash, scratching, biting, tearing him apart.

Haizaki screamed.

His grey eyes were wide open, staring at the bloody mess inside his chest and if he had actually listened in his anatomy class he might have named the organs that were soft, bloody and  _torn_ , but even if he had, at that moment, all he'd felt was hot, agonizing pain.

Still, as his consciousness started to fade, Haizaki wasn't happy. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks, fell on his wounds, burning them, burning  _him_ , but even then, death was the worst thing Haizaki could imagine.

 

Beside a grey and red corpse, a yellow Spider Lily bloomed, dyed in its crimson blood.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter Preview: Keep the flowers blooming nobly  
> Akashi plays detective and takes drastic measures upon finding things he never expected to.


	3. Keep the Flowers blooming nobly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm a way too impatient little shit that responds even better to people noticing, liking or even commenting on my works. Nothing new there^^  
> That's why I decided to post everything I had already written, which means that the next update will come at some time next week; whenever my Kise-induced writer's block lets up and school lets me. Yeah, that's gonna take a while.  
> But for now, enjoy~

** Keep the flowers blooming nobly **

Akashi woke up drenched in sweat. The first part of his nightmare had been okay, just a dramaticised version of the day before he had thrown Haizaki off the team, but the second had really diverged from what had actually happened. Seijuro held on to what he knew to be true; that he'd talked to Haizaki, that Haizaki hadn't taken him seriously and threatened him, to which he'd asked Midorima for his lucky item; a scarf. He had been too fast for Haizaki, put it around his neck and he'd pulled - A bit dramatical, but very effective.

So why was it that Akashi's heart raced and he tasted bile in his throat? Why was it that he suddenly worried for Nijimura and wondered just why he'd been so interesting in Haizaki's fate? I need closure, Akashi decided. It is ridiculous and a waste of my time, but it's not like it will hurt anyone.

And this was the reason why Akashi was currently ringing Nijimura's doorbell, a pleasant smile on his face and a bag, where foreign chocolates wrapped in giftpaper laid, in his hands. Nobody answered. Akashi started to get impatient and tapp the wall with the fingers of his free hand, However, his smile didn't falter. After he had rung five times (with about six minute long periods in between ringing), a worn-down looking woman with long, dark hair that had been gathered in a ponytail opened the door, seeming relieved. She visibly slumped, when she saw that it was the red-haired teen.

"Hello," Akashi greeted, "my name is Akashi Seijuro. I am a friend of Nijimura-san. Can I talk to him, please?" The woman, probably his mother, put on a strained smile. "I'm sorry, but my son hasn't come home since yesterday." That was... worrying. Nijimura-san cared about his family, even enough to give up basketball. It didn't seem like him to make them worry. Akashi let his face mirror his feelings for once and it seemed to work in his favor, as the woman mentioned for him to come in.

"Akashi Seijuro...Weren't you the vice-captain, when Shuzo was at Teiko?" "That is correct, Nijimura-san." Akashi noted that she flinched when he called her that. "That is your name, right?" "Yes", she answered and for a moment, her eyes flickered to something at the end of the corridor. Before they turned into the living room, Seijuro caught sight of what she'd looked at. There was something wooden, adorned with a few flowers and the candles on it illuminated the photograph that showed a middle-aged man who looked remarkably like Nijimura - It was a shrine dedicated to the dead.

Akashi's eyes widened in surprise. So he had been wrong about Nijimura's reasoning, and for once, he felt truly regretful about it. "My condolences for the loss of your husband. Could you please tell me, where Nijimura-san could be? It is quite urgent." The woman had been rummaging in the kitched and the cup she'd been holding fell from herhands as he said that.

"How-?" she started, but remembered the shrine in the hallway. She simply nodded and answered, "He could still be in school or in the city. But he could also be at Zoshigaya cemetery." "Thank you for the help" Akashi said and stood up. He felt a bit bad for exaggerating, but he needed to have a clear mind for the game.

Just as he wanted to say goodbye and go, Nijimura's mother said, "Wait. If you find him, can you please tell him to come back soon?" The longing and pain in her voice made Seijuro uncomfortable, like he was intruding. "Of course," he answered, "goodbye, Mrs. Nijimura."

"Goodbye, Akashi-kun. And... Good luck."

*************************************

Zoshigaya was a communal cemetery, which meant that it was full of graves. Yet it had a messy order about it. Green oak trees grew between the black or grey plates that were grave stones. A worker pointed Akashi to the newest N section and it didn't take him very long to find the grave he was searching for. The metallic plate gleamed in the sunlight, the black of the inscription barely visible over the gleam. Akashi wondered what had compelled them to bury Nijimura-senior instead of cremating him, but it really wasn't his place to know.

He didn't see Nijimura anywhere nearby. For a moment, Seijuro just remained, staring at the tomb, remembering. His mother's grave had been much more pompous, even though he knew she wouldn't have wanted that. They only buried her ashes though; Akashi's father liked to keep traditions. There were always many flowers near it, so often changed that they barely had any time to bloom, let alone wilter. The most often were white and yellow Spider Lilies. Even the occasional red one. Yellow Spider Lilies... Akashi turned around, following the glimpse yellow he'd caught out of the corner of his eye. There really was a single yellow Spider Lily lying, no, even growing next to a light grey plate that seemed more like painted wood than metal. The flower was strangely coloured; it had red spots all around it, staining it. It was beautiful in an odd way. Seijuro wondered, who it had been planted for.

Had he not seen a path of petals leading him into the opposite direction, he would've read the simple inscription on the plate:  _Haizaki Shougo, 1999-2015_

But as it was, Akashi followed the pure-white petals, for no reason he himself could discern. If asked to explain, he'd probably call it curiosity. Then, beneath a surprisingly large oak tree, the flower trail ended. Seijuro was weirdly relieved and disappointed. Then something small and soft, so light that most people wouldn't have even felt it, landed on his head. Seijuro was surprised to find that it was another one of those petals. He raised his head and froze in shock and disbelief.

His crimson eyes widened so far it almost hurt, but Akashi felt nothing.The only thing that existed for him was the dark-haired figure swaying slightly in the wind. Nijimura looked good for a corpse. He hadn't even started to decay (after all, he'd only disappeared yesterday and it was pretty cold this time of the year).

What convinced Seijuro of the fact that his senpai was dead wasn't his unnatural paleness, nor the rope around his neck. It was his sheer still- and expressionlessness. Seijuro wasn't used to people looking so blank. Even when they wore poker-faces, he noticed their slightest twitches. Nijimura had an expression of indignance on him, like he couldn't believe someone dared to kill him (that he himself had dared to die). Yet he was full of grace and dignity - Not the sort Akashi himself had, but more hidden, yet obvious to anyone who bothered to look; Seijuro always did. It was what had gotten them Kuroko.

Seijuro let out a sharp breath and finally tore his eyes from his senpai's lifeless form. He had to shout, had to tell someone, had to... The wind whispered into his ears, mocking him, mocking his, who was called the emperor, helplessness in the face of death.

~~_**Give in to weakness and I will come for you too!** _ ~~

Akashi shook his head. Enough of this foolishness. He was not afraid of death, much less of dead bodies, even if they did belong to someone he'd known. Then, again, he saw something that shocked him beyond words, beyond thoughts. The words were scratched into the tree with something sharp. A knife?, Akashi wondered. No, too messy. Or too deep, depending on the kind of knife used. Finger nails? There was no way a human could have done that. Again, Akashi shook his head at his thoughts. But not even that motion could ridd him of the words that had followed him out of his dreams.

 _Come for the weak_  didn't sound very terrifying on its own, but Seijuro was starting to truly fear the words in a way he had never feared anything, including his father. It couldn't be true. He knew that weakness had a price, had always known, but this... But why the people around him? Why  _him_? No, it couldn't be that old legend.

But Akashi had to make sure that, this, didn't happen to anyone else. It couldn't. Teiko had to become strong, at all costs. They had to become impossible to beat! His whole team already had the potential for that, but they had yet to grow into their abilities. It looked like Akashi would have to speed up the process. He left a note stating Nijimura's location behind and got ridd of officers who wanted to question him using his father's influence.

He supposed Nijimura's family was grateful to him for keeping the case out of the news, but then again, he wouldn't know. He hadn't wanted to face the mother's hopelessness, the younger siblings' Nijimura had told them about lack of understanding, their grief.

Seijuro didn't tell anyone on his team about it. Nobody knew why Akashi didn't play that day or why despite that, he was the most intimidating person on the field.

Just like nobody knew what prompted the Teiko player's abilities to grow rapidly after that; a change so aprumpt and great that it caused them to be called 'Generation of Miracles'.

 


	4. Hide no longer in their Shadow, Oh you pearl-coloured Spider Lily

**Hide no longer in their shadow, Oh you pearl-coloured Spider Lily**

Kuroko frowned, a miniscule twitch of his lips, a fleeting shadow of emotion glazing over his eyes as he watched a blue-haired, tanned boy train. Aomine wasn't laughing like he usually was. Kuroko's light wasn't hard to read and to him, who was experienced in observing people, every sign of his distress was much more obvious than to normal people. The pale blue-haired boy had watched the joy of playing basketball being buried beneath win after win, wins that hadn't presented even a slight challenge to Aomine. The game against his friend, whose team had given up before the first half was even over, had given it the rest. Kuroko had seen that said friend had said something to Aomine, something that still weighed on his mind, but Aomine wasn't the kind of person who took well to comforting or prying. Even Kuroko as his shadow had to wait until Aomine talked to him, lest he shut him off entirely.

Kuroko wondered, would it be the same when he played against Ogiwara? Would it make or break their friendship?

Kuroko always shook the thought off when it came. He had to believe in Ogiwara, in his team. In Aomine's passion, in Murasakibara's and Midorima's respect, in Kise's understanding and Akashi's kindness. But every day, he saw all of it crumbling and couldn't do a thing. In games, he as the shadow could change its course, but outside of it, he became more and more of a ghost to the team. Maybe it was because of that selfish reason that he was so desperate for Aomine to remain radiant, to remain joyful while playing. As a shadow, it was his job to disappear in face of the light, but as long as the light saw, acknowledged him, it was okay.

The next session, Aomine didn't come to training. Nor did he the one after. Kuroko barely saw him and when he did, there was a distance between them, an inpenetrable wall. So Kuroko did the only thing he could think of working; he talked to Akashi.

Akashi was in the captain's room, playing Shougi with Midorima. None of them noticed him and Kuroko didn't make his presence known. Instead, he waited, until their game was over. "Excuse me" he started. Akashi turned around, no surprise on his face. Kuroko never knew whether to be fascinated by or fearful of their captain's self-control, but he had the utmost respect for it. "May I talk to you for a moment, Akashi-san?"

The redhead stood up and told Midorima "Let's have a re-match some time", to which the green-haired boy adjusted his glasses and nodded. The tension in his face told Kuroko that he was miffed about losing yet again better than the boy himself ever would (or could).

"Should we walk for a bit?" Akashi proposed. Kuroko nodded. He didn't really care where to talk to the captain. "So, what did you want to talk to me about, Kuroko-kun?" Akashi started. "Aomine-kun" Kuroko replied. "I worry about him." Akashi hesitated and Kuroko saw something akin to guilt flash through his eyes.

"Is there a need to worry?" he asked. "Not about his abilities, but his mentality. He doesn't even come to training anymore." Akashi paused for a while and answered "Then I will make sure that he has a reason to come."

The game after that, the contests started. Kuroko didn't talk to Akashi anymore; he barely talked to anyone after that.

And he was forgotten.

 

************************

When Akashi entered the gym, the first thing he heard was the sound of a ball crashing against the basket. But even without it, he would have been able to pinpoint the phantom player's location. Kuroko was emitting a cold, concetrated aura. Anyone else it would've only made shiver, but Akashi knew Kuroko well enough to be able to recognize him. The ball was thrown with full force, but not enough precision. It bounced over to Akashi's general direction and he easily caught it, throwing it back to Kuroko.

The pale-blue haired boy caught it less graceful than Akashi, clumsy even, not used to keeping a ball instead of passing it on with the momentum. "So you came" he said, quietly, calmly. Nothing like the boy he'd broke. Akashi was relieved. Kuroko had been weak. It had been one of the things that made him useful in the way he was, but Akashi knew that his mind, his spirit had been suffering. He knew that without something happening, he would most probably quit basketball. He knew that the game against his friend, where he'd been so cruel (the others too, but they didn't know, they never know) had been the final straw and he'd been curious whether that was a way to break the curse.To be sure he'd hired bodyguards to protect the phantom.

Let it never be said that Akashi Seijuro wasn't ressourceful.

"I did" he answered, measured, just as calm as Kuroko. He knew all about the boy's encounter with Ogiwara's teammates, about his new-found determination. Courtesy of having him stalked (protected) by professionals.

"I am going to leave Teiko's team" Kuroko told him bluntly. It unexpectedly hurt, even though Akashi had known that he would. "I see" he answered. "May I ask why?" Did he perhaps have a masochistic streak that he wanted his friend to speak it out? To hear the words from his mouth?

"To defeat the Generation of Miracles. To defeat you, Akashi- _kun_ " Kuroko said, looking him straight in the eye, never wavering. Seijuro's mouth twitched upwards. "I look forward to it" he replied and surprisingly, he meant it. Kuroko's basketball was everything the monster would consider weak, so maybe by defeating them, defeating him, the shadow would slay it.

"I really do."

 

************************************

 

Aomine yawned. He started to regret returning to the gym to play a bit, but after the match against Meiko, after finding out that one of the people they'd utterly crushed had been Kuroko's friend, the one who caused him to start playing basketball in the beginning had, made him want to get the frustration out of his system.

He didn't want to admit it, but he missed Kuroko. Missed playing together, missed the way it made him feel. But Kuroko was unneeded. They were strong enough (too strong) to beat everyone on their own. It wasn't his fault, Aomine knew. They were all just too weak. Still, it frustrated him that he'd outgrown them all so much when he really wanted to play on one field, on the same level with them. It frustrated him that Kuroko had to go through what he had and that there was nothing he could do against it.

He picked up a basketball that had been lying around and wondered who'd forgotten to put it away. Since it wasn't him, it had probably been Kise. The only one messy enough besides them was Murasakibara and he never stayed to play.

After practising, running and throwing until Aomine breathed hard and sweat drops poured down his olive skin, he sat on the floor. It was so boring to play by one's self. He wiped the sweat on his forehead away with his hands. Why hadn't he thought to bring a blanket? Forethought just wasn't Aomine's forte. He stood up, stretching and saw something black out of the corner of his eye.

Could it be? The blue-haired boy grinned victoriously. It was true, somebody had forgotten their sweatband. Well, tough luck, because they weren't gonna get it back.

Aomine didn't expect to keep wearing it every day.


	5. Not ready to wilter or to bloom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I shouldn't have blamed Kise for the writer's block, as the plot was more at fault; writing about Kise is easy compared to Midorima (and for that one, I just read some doujis).
> 
> By the way, a great, big thank you for everyone who took the time to read it! After the non-existent reaction on the website where I first posted it, my after-writing megalomania turned to self-doubt, so the positive reaction makes me very happy!<3

**Not ready to wilter or to bloom**

 

Seijuro smiled as he read the basketball magazine. It was incredible, truly incredible. When he'd found out that Kuroko had enrolled in Seirin, he'd been surprised, which was a bit of an understatement. But after researching the history of their basketball club, he'd had to admit that it was a pretty good choice for him, as Seirin's run-and-gun style worked well with Kuroko's passes. Still, some of the red-head's skepsis had remained. Though Kuroko's style went well with theirs, his misdirection wouldn't last long, as Seirin didn't have a truly exceptional ace.

He hadn't foreseen Kagami.

Again, he smiled. He didn't think that they'd qualify to play against him in the Interhigh; even though they weren't on the Generation of Miracles level, Seiho was a formidable opponent and playing against Midorima just after that was too much for Seirin's current stamina. But who knew, Kuroko had surprised him before and his partner seemed to have the same quality.

Maybe this new combination of light and shadow would finally be able to do what he could not and slay the monster.

 

***

 

The character's simple black was a contrast to the wooden Shogi pieces and board, the pentagon pieces just a shade lighter than its foundation. For someone who had no idea how the game worked, the positions would seem messy, random, but even experienced players would have trouble grasping the situation without knowledge of what had occured beforehand.

"Sennichite" Midorima stated. His redhaired opponent hummed affirmatively, a bit surprised. "Sennichite indeed. It truly is a shame that we don't have the time for a rematch." It was customary to turn the board around and have a rematch in the rare occurence of a draw. "Thank you for the match, Shintarou-kun. You have gotten better" Akashi said, standing up.

The greenhaired teen remained seated, staring at the board. Then he raised his head, piercing the other with his green eyes through the lenses of his glasses. "What are you doing, Akashi-san?" he asked bluntly. Akashi raised a light red eyebrow, confused by his friend's question. "I apologize, but I do not know what you mean, Shintarou-kun."

"You are distracted."

"I assure you, I am not."

"You are" Midorima all but snapped at him, also standing up. "Since you refused to answer me properly I expected you to go all out on the game. You always do. So why are you distracted?"

The words shattered a wall Seijuro had build up in his subconsciousness. Suddenly, everything the distraction of a good game had made him forget returned. A hanged noble man, a single white Spider Lily, above him, taunting, mocking him. A red flower behind him that he couldn't see properly, but he knew it had his mother's voice. It was calling him to turn around.

Seijuro kept facing his friend, focusing on the green in the middle of white red white yellow red red red. What had Midorima asked him? For a moment, Akashi had forgotten. It had been about Kuroko, of course. And about the oncoming preliminary finals. And the End Game that wasn't the End Game, the finals of the Interhigh.

"I will answer you now, Shintarou-kun, as apology and reward for a game well played" he started, but the background noice of his mother's whispers he couldn't comprehend made it hard to concentrate. "Not yet. Postponing our facing off, if it is you who will make it to the finals, until the Winter Cup, when everyone's abilities will have sharpened would be much more interesting, wouldn't it?"

"I see. If it's like that, I will wait until the Winter Cup to show you defeat." Midorima picked up his bag and paused at the door. "Do not let yourself be defeated before I get to you." Akashi smiled, amused. He payed the petals yellow and red, just like the carpet, engulfing him, swallowing him up, no mind. "Naturally. Try to heed your own advice, Shintarou-kun." He smiled again and took a sip of his green tea. Unfortunately, it didn't wash away the petals now stuck in his throat. The tea (green like Midorima's hair, Midorima's eyes, the clover he always reminded Seijuro of) was gone too soon, leaving only a crumbled tea leaf in the cup.

The door was shut.

Seijuro was alone with the Hanged Man, Spider Lilies red, yellow and white and was consumed by them. Still, he kept smiling. He knew they were not real. And yet, as the choking hold of the petals had reached even his left eye he couldn't help but bend towards the gentle pale-blue light of the moon, hoping to-

Midorima, despite his serious behaviour, was a fool. People always searched for four-leaf clovers, but they didn't exist. Neither did luck or fortune. But he supposed, so was Seijuro himself. After all, the moon was too distant to bring salvation. Even his light could only ever be a reflection.

 

***

 

_Camera lights flashed, almost as blinding as the smile of the blond male model. Kise's hair wasn't bleached, which was very rare for a Japanese model or for any Japanese for that matter. The dark-haired teen grimaced. Why had he agreed to come here again? Even getting a message from his kouhai every few seconds would have been less nervewracking than this sneak-peek into the entertainment world!_

_Moriyama and Kobori had come too, though it would have been more accurate to say that the captains of Kaijo had been dragged along. Moriyama had disappeared to pick up girls (or at least try to) and Kobori had excused himself and disappeared right after. Kasamatsu envied his idea, but before he could do the same, the shooting had already ended. Kise was experienced, even a someone who didn't care for models like Yukio could see that much, which was why the dressing and make-up, during which the captains had been standing awkwardly in a corner (though Kasamatsu had been loathe to show his discomfort) had taken the longest. Kasamatsu thought that all of it was quite ridiculous, but he did admire his underclassman for managing school, work and basketball. At least he did when Kise didn't annoy that sentiment right out of him._

_"Hey senpai, thanks for waiting!" the blond said after brushing his set off with pretty words. He didn't need any help getting the make-up off anymore, so he didn't see the point of someone helping. Kasamatsu almost rolled his eyes. "I did accept your invitation" he said grumpily. "So did Moriyama- and Kobori-senpai" Kise pointed out. He did have a point, but his radiant, smug smile made Kasamatsu's fist itch. However, at Kise's work place he was only a guest, which was why he stayed silent. This seemed to get Kise even more self-satisfied and the captain was reminded of the brat he'd been when he'd joined Kaijo, respecting no one._

_"You know, senpai, you remind me of someone of my old team" the blond said. Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow. "Of one of the miracles?" he asked, doubting. He had met some during their games and seen the rest in the interviews. None of them seemed even slightly like him and if the former member actually compared him to them, he'd hit him in spite of their surroundings._

_Kise laughed and it actually sounded real for once, as well as lacking of most of his previous smugness. "No, no way. He was our senpai and quit before we got famous." "He quit?" Kasamatsu asked. They both made their way to the changing rooms and Kise frowned. "Now that I think about it, I don't know. I don't even know what became of him; his name wasn't anywhere in the lists of our opponents, even though he wanted to start playing again."_

_Kasamatsu saw Kise readying himself to start speaking again and threateningly said "Don't you dare use that topic as an excuse to gush over 'Kurokocchi'." "Waah, so mean!" the blond wailed. The door to the changing room appeared in front of them. At least, Kasamatsu supposed that it was, as the doors looked all the same to him and the place was a maze. "Are you going to wait for me, senpai?" Kise asked with an irritating smile on his face. "Of course" Kasamatsu answered and smacked him over the head for good measure. It was surprisingly hard to refrain from doing it after prolonged exposure to the teen. "It might take a bit longer though - I have a call to make."_

_"I told you that I'm going to wait already, so start changing before we stay here all night!" Laughing, Kise disappeared into the room. "Hai-hai, senpai~"_

_Kasamatsu didn't expect to wait as long as he did. After half an hour he got a text from Moriyama, telling him that he'd gone home. Though it mostly consisted of him complaining about not being able to pick up any models. After ten more minutes, Kasamatsu knocked. "Hey, Kise, how much longer do you need?" He couldn't quite manage to keep the annoyance out of his voice._

_When Kise didn't answer, he told him that he was going in and opened the door. The room was empty. Annoyed, Kasamatsu send Kise a text. It was rude to leave without telling him, especially since Kise had known that he was waiting._

_He never got a reply._

 

***

 

Akashi sat on the bench with a straight back, watching the game with an intensity that almost made the players shiver - On both sides. Fortunately, the Miracles respected him enough to listen to him without (much) question, when he told them not to play against each other. Kuroko was the exception; one of them and yet apart. He was Seijuro's gamble and he trusted himself to be able to protect the shadow from possible backlash.

For now, the most important part was leading his new team to victory. He'd held himself as aloof as he could, but he didn't want to put their lives on it. Plus, Akashi Seijuro simply didn't like to lose. The other team was not an opponent to be taken lightly, even without Aomine on the field. Especially since they had Momoi's help. But Seijuro was better than she was at predicting strenghts development. The fact that he'd managed to create the Generation of Miracles by physically and mentally manipulating his former teammates proved that. Which sounded a lot worse than it actually was. He had simply changed their training and put pressure on them when he thought that they were close to evolving. 

The hallucinations had gotten better. 

Perhaps it was because Seijuro was finally doing something, even if that only consisted of planning this game and moving the inevitable turning point that was the Miracles playing each other. Even until this day, Seijuro didn't know what prompted them to go to different schools. He himself had been forced to go to Tokyo, to Rakuzan by his father, but he had made the arrangements for the rest to be able to join him. The most probable reason was that it was Kyoto, which was very far from Tokyo where they all lived or, in Kise's case, even had a job. 

Because of that Seijuro was relieved that he had at least enough of a hold on his former friends to make sure they'd be prepared. Or maybe it was just him not being able to come to terms with the fact that losing literally meant death for those close to him. 

At least, the redhead thought, as the beep announced the end of the game as well as Rakuzan's victory and the illusion's return, at least, I have still hope. A little, light blue spark of hope. It wasn't enough to break through the wall of petals; it barely even reached the redhead. But it was there.

 

***

 

_**Let us play one on one.** _

~~**K-** ~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I've made you worry about both Kise and Kuroko~  
> This is the first time I've really tried to get the stress everything's causing Akashi across, because I might've gotten him across as a bit heartless (but since it's Akashi I wouldn't write him any other way).
> 
> Haha, I just moved the plot and the gore to the later chapters, so that there's a bit more of mystery~
> 
> Next chapter, what most of you have come here for will finally happen; Aomine and Kagami team up.  
> I hope you look forward to 'Blossom wildly, Oh my dear, vengeful Tiger Lily':D


End file.
